Tobacco pipe cleaner



y 1952 E. BERNER TOBACCO PIPE CLEANER Filed Aug. 15, 1946 EMILY BERNER lNV ENTOR ATTORNEY i atented July 8, 19 52 'roisAooo PIPE CLEANER I EmilyBerner, New York, Y.

It is well known by persons who smoke a tobacco pipe. that the bowl of the pipe becomes incrusted with a lining of carbon, and in order to maintain a pipe properly, itshould be regularly cleaned 'of the incrustation.

Known devices for cleaning the bowls of tobacco pipes are inadequate for properly doing the work, principally because of their non-threaded cross-section, because of which they undercut the incrustation in the pipe anddamage the bowl.

An object of this invention is to provide a tobacco pipe cleaner so constructed that peripheral .portions of thecutter head taken on a ,section at 1 rightangles to the vertical axis of the cleaner lie ina circle and have thread elements thereon which follow the orbit of acontiiiuous thread'in order to make a thread-like cut, in cleaning the bowlof-the pipe, thus avoiding undercutting the incrustationandr damaging the pipe bowl.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tobacco-pipe cleaner comprising two identical members which are integral solely at th upper portionof the device, the members being spaced apart from each other at the central portion of the device whereby the lower portions of the members have a degree of resiliency in a lateral direction to allow relative movement of the members toward each other to yieldingly engage and scrape the walls of the pipe without under-cutting the incrustations.

Another object of this invention is to provide each member with a laterally extending projection at its lower end and with aguideway adapted to receive the projection of a coacting member for interengaging the members at their lower ends in slidable relation and retaining the members in their normal cutting positions.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described, and the combination and arrangement of parts will be shown in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claim which forms part of this application.

Reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a tobacco pipe showing the pipe cleaning implement in operating position therein.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the implement v shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the implement.

Figure 4 isa cross-sectional view, the section being taken. as on line 4-4 m F gure 2.

a tobacco pipe l4.

Application August13,1946,Seri'alNo.690,171 11 Claim. (01. 131 -246) Figure dis a cross-sectional view, the section being taken as on line 5-5 in Figure 3 but showing only one projection in elevation.

Figure 6 is a side view of the implement looking in a direction endwise of thelhandle.

Figure 7. is a cross-sectional viewtaken on line "l'| in Figure 2, and drawn on an enlarged scale.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the numeral N) indicates my improved tobacco pipe cleaner comprising a cutterhead H having a rounded lower edgel? and; generally having a contour suitable to fit a pipebowl I3 of Portions of the outer surface of the cutter head II are threaded'or notched, the thread elements 15 extending from a'st'em portion IG' adjacent a handle I! to the roundedlower edge 12. The thread elements [5 follow ,the'orbit'of 'a continuous thread. The cutter head II has a longitudinally disposed linear opening [9 which divides the cutter head into two members'each having two cutting sections 20.

The cutter head II has substantially parallel sides or parallel cutting edges, the thread elements l5 extending a considerable depth into the sides. ter head H is the handle H which is, in a lengthwise direction, larger than the diameter of the cutter head.

The tobacco pipe cleaner I0 is preferably stamped from sheet metal. The cutter head ll may be inserted into the bowl l3 of the pipe l4 and the pipe cleaner turned in a right-hand direction to remove the cake or lining of carbon which accumulates in a pipe. The thread elements l5 undercut the layer of carbon but ohviate the possibility of cutting or otherwise damaging the pipe.

As best shown in Figures 6 and 7, the cutter head ll comprises two identical members 22, 22. The stem portions [6 and the handle portions H are in practice in abutting relation and'integrally united such as by welding. The opening I9 extends from the stems It all the way down to the lower end of the device.

It is to be noted that, due to the spaced-apart relation of the lower end portions of the members 22, that the lower portions of the said members are resilient in a lateral direction at the lower end of the device to allow relative movement of the members toward each other to yieldingly engage and scrape the walls of the pipe Extending from the upper end of the cut- I jection or key 23 of rectangular cross-section which is stamped therefrom. Each member 22 has a guideway or keyway 24 adapted to receive the projection or key 23 of the other member to permit slidable interengagement between the two members 22 at their lower ends.

It is to be noted that a keyway 24 of rectangular cross-section is formed when a key 23 is stamped out from the cutting sections 20 of a member 22. Asbest shown in Figure 6, the key 23 of one sectionis in close interenga'gement with the keyway 24 of the other section during the, relative movement of the cutting sections toward each other.

It is also to be noted that in each cutting section 20 all the thread elements lie in a single straight line. As best shown iinFigures 5 andifi,

tions -having their outer edges lying in a circle,

each section having outwardly'tiextending rightang-ular thread cutting elements,the 'threadputedges o'fisa'id four cutting sections b'ein'g adapted to enter into a tobacco .pipe bowl for "cutting in- .crus'tations "therein at a plurality of points along itin'g elements in said cutting sections '"being "arranged to "follow the orbit of a continuous 'circular' threadfall the 'thread elements ineac'h cutting section lying in a straight line, the outer 4 the circumference of the bowl with a thread-like cut simultaneously, said sections being fixedly connected in abutting relation solely at the upper end portion of said implement, said members being relatively movable at the lower end portion of said implement, each of said members having a key stamped therefrom but attached thereto, each member having a close fitting keyway for the key of the other member for permitting slidalble interengagement between said members at their lower ends at the lower portions of said threaded portions, each key stamped from a member providing the keyway in said member, said implement having a convex rounded lower jportion below said threaded portion of a contour suitable to fit a pipe bowl, said members being xesilientfinalateral direction at their lower ends to allow relative movement of said cutting sec-V tionstoward each other to yieldingly engage and scrape the walls of the pipe bowl without undercuttingsaid incrustaitions.

=REFERENCES [CITED The following references are of record "in the file of this patent:

:UNITED STATES ,PATENTS Number Name .Date

1;50'6;465 Wall Aug. 126, 1924 1,546,342 -Gessler Jul-1714,1925 631,467 Caldwell June 7, 192? .1 07,576 Krekler "May 26, =l-'931 2,034,337 Florm'an Mar. 1 7 193.6 2,227,188 Hug -Dec.3l, 1 940 :FOR-EIGN PATENTS m Number 'Coun'try Date 

